Monthly Archives: March 2015

It really was March madness in terms of reading this month despite exams! Here’s the round-up of all the books I’ve devoured:

*The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time by Mark Haddon: This is a unique, brilliant book that I find emotionally investing yet humorous as well. I read it as part of the Re Read Challenge so do check out my re-read post here!

Verdict: Give this one a definite read!

* Re-Read Challenge

Literary Theory: A guide to the perplexed by Mary Klages: Given that this book would not have made my reading list but for an entire semester of slogging through the contents of literary theory, I have mixed feelings about this one (with the negative ones tending to dominate more often than not.) Having this book as a textbook made me want to tear my hair out by the roots. However, I suppose reading it for information would be a more pleasant experience particularly the chapters on deconstruction, feminism, psychoanalysis and postmodernism.

Verdict: Read at your own potential risk.

InuYasha Volumes 4-9 by Rumiko Takahashi: There’s quite a lot of interesting things that happen in these volumes! Now that Shippo is tagging along with InuYasha and Kagome it’s funny to see the love-hate relationship between him and InuYasha, sort of like two brothers always fighting with one another. When Kagome returns to the modern world, she saves a girl ghost wreaking havoc upon her family, from the brink of hell and InuYasha sees exactly what she’s capable of. We also discover that the night of the new moon strips InuYasha’s of all his demonic power turning him mortal till the sun rises.

I’m glad that InuYasha and Kikyo’s misunderstanding fifty years ago is revisited when Urasue revives Kikyo though it puts Kagome in an awkward position. InuYasha and Kikyo’s unrequited love is beautiful. Yet for me, the best part about these volumes is the introduction of Miroku, a lecherous monk and Sango, a demon slayer and her demon cat Kirara. Now it’s odd how I could have read the earlier volumes when they weren’t around.

Verdict: These volumes have the most interesting developments!

The Miniaturist by Jessie Burton: After having heard considerable praise for this book, I was interested to see what all the fuss was about. Immediately I understood.

Jessie Burton’s writing style is so refreshing to read, the likes of which are very rare. The book is written in a very poetic, lilting style that makes Nella’s strange world come alive and as a reader, I was always kept on the edge of my seat with the various plot twists interspersed in the narrative. I adore how the characters are complex and atypical. We have the protagonist, an 18-year-old mistress of the house Nella Brandt envious of the freedom and lax enjoyed by her maid named Cornelia. Nella’s husband Johannes and her sister-in-law Marin have odd ways of showing that they do in fact care about one another, something Nella always questions. The dynamics of the book are unique which is why I can understand as many as ten or so publishers fighting tooth and nail for the rights to it.

However, I did have certain issues with the book especially with a lack of closure or acceptance towards the end. There are some serious plot holes and I believe the back of the book misleads the reader into thinking it’s a mystery when it’s not actually quite so. That’s all I can say without spoiling the Miniaturist .

Verdict: Despite its flaws, I was so captivated by this book that I’d finish studying for my exams early just so I could curl up in bed and read it late into the night. Please grab a copy!

If you’d like, read the next paragraph of my thoughts on ‘The Miniaturist’ but be warned it has SPOILERS:

My main source of disappointment is that Nella never uncovers how the miniaturist is able to foretell events in her life or how she possesses the gift to craft such exquisite and eerily accurate miniature pieces. She merely finds out the miniaturist is her name sake but that is the end of the road when it comes to this mysterious stranger whose intrigue was crucial to the books appeal. Sadly it isn’t about the miniaturist at all which makes me question why the book is titled in such a way.